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To the Comte de Vergennes

Replying to Vergennes' letter of the 24th (calendared above), John Adams expressed his appreciation for his upcoming presentation
at the French court. He also agreed to avoid publicizing his peace commission before
its announcement in the “Gazette,” to submit any announcement that he might seek to
have published in the Dutch papers, and to keep secret his commission to negotiate
an Anglo-American commercial treaty. This is the last complete letter included in
JA's Autobiography.

Edmé Jacques Genet to John Adams: A Translation

[dateline] Versailles, 25 February 1780

[salute] Sir

I will not fail to inform the Count Vergennes of the letter with which you have honored
me.1

I will also write to Ostend to ask them to send, under my name, two gazettes, the
most influential in each party. To my mind they are, for the Opposition, the General Advertiser, published by W. Parker—and { 368 } for the Ministry, the Morning Post. These are the two that I will request and forward to you regularly. In the meantime,
I will lend you some of my own copies when I can. I am enclosing the General Advertiser of the 17th, which you can return at your convenience. I will inform you when your
own copies are sent so that you may keep them.

Dare I ask you for news of your son and whether he returned with you? My own leaves
for Germany in eight days.2 Please give my regards to Mr. Francis Dana.

Did you remember my request for copies of the new constitutions I was unable to obtain?
If you did not have time to gather them, being only briefly in America, you might
still do so through your friends, and I would be grateful to you.

I have the honor to be, with an unshakable attachment, sir, your very humble and very
obedient servant

2. Edmond Charles Genet, later first minister from the French Republic to the United
States and known then as “Citizen Genet.” In 1780 he was 17 years old and, after studying
at Geissen and Berlin and serving on the staff of the French ambassador at Vienna,
became head of the foreign ministry's translation bureau upon his father's death in
1781 (DAB).